Ever After High: Wicca Be Good
by newbienovelistRD
Summary: Wicca West is doing great maintaining her villain status, but she must stay out of trouble if she wants to stay in school! How will Wicca manage to be good while keeping up with her evil competition?
1. The Bad News and The Worse News

It was a glorious morning at Ever After High.

However, things were not glorious for Wicca West, daughter of the Wicked Witch of the West. She sighed for the upteenth time as she sat in Headmaster Grimm's office.

Despite being the new girl, she's been fitting in as a villain just fine. Ever since she settled in, she's been casting one evil prank after another.

As the daughter of an infamous villain, Wicca was happy to cause some mischief and make people suffer.

Last week, she cast an evil spell Daring Charming's toothpaste, causing his teeth to turn green and crooked, then she melted all of Cedar Wood's art supplies together, cast a spell on Ashlynn Ella's shoe collection and turned them into mice, and she put ever-itching powder in Duchess Swan's dancing shoes.

But the one that landed her in the office was putting poisoned sugar cubes in Professor Rumpelstiltskin's coffee. The teacher ended up with the flu and a six foot long tongue covered in purple polka dots.

"Miss West, while I am very proud of you upholding the traditions of your evil destiny, you must not injure our faculty members!"

"What's the point of being a villain if I can't terrorize someone?!" Wicca replied.

"I understand for penchant for mayhem, Miss West. But there is such a thing as taking evil too far. I should cancel the upcoming Villain's Ball."

"What?! No way! Not the Villain's Ball!"

Wicca was looking forward to the Villain's Ball. The ball was Headmaster Grimm's idea to honor villains and all things evil.

"But since the ball is such a special occasion of my own creation, I've taken a new approach; assigning you a roommate."

"EXCUSE ME?!" Wicca shrieked. Her green eyes lit up like emerald fire. "A roommate?!"

"That's right. You will share your room with another-"

"SHARE?!" Wicca's black pointed hat curled in displeasure. "Oh, right! When someone says, 'wicked witch' I think, 'share!' A wicked witch DOES NOT SHARE WITH ANYONE!"

The room actually shook a little. Wicca's witchy tantrums had become infamous in Ever After High.

"I'm afraid you have no choice, Miss West. But on the bright side, your roommate is another villain just like you! Her name is Coral Witch, daughter of the Sea Witch. There are many students rejecting their evil destiny. So, perhaps you can guide Coral to embrace her wickedness while still showing self-control."

"Another villain?!" Wicca asked.

"That is correct. So, Miss West, be sure to make your new roommate feel welcome and I better see more restraint out of you from here on out." He narrowed his eyes at her. "Or it's dungeon detention for a very long time."

Wicca tried to protest. "But-"

"No, 'buts', Miss West! Now, I suggest you scoot along and be ready to welcome your new roommate!"

"You've got to be kidding!" Wicca snapped.

"It's no joke, Miss West!" He pointed to the door. "Away with you!"

Wicca tightened her fists. It was going to be a challenge, she was using every ounce of restraint she had just to keep herself from turning the headmaster into a frog!

* * *

Wicca stormed out of Headmaster Grimm's office in a huff. She looked up and saw her friend Raven Queen staring at her.

"Hey, Raven." Wicca groaned.

"I could hear you screaming all the way from Magicology class! With all that shouting, I thought you were going to explode!" Raven said.

"I'm a villain, Raven! I've got to keep up evil appearances!" Wicca swished her cape as she and Raven walked down the hall. "I just can't believe this! He can't do this to me! Having a roommate?! That's the worst punishment ever after! Even worse than cancelling the Villain's Ball!"

"Oh, please." Raven rolled her eyes. "The Villain's Ball. That's just another tactic Headmaster Grimm came up with to make me embrace my evil destiny. This has got to be his worst attempt yet."

"Well, I think it's great they're throwing a ball for us villains." Wicca responded. "We're finally being appreciated for our dark destinies. I for one am hexcited about the ball!"

"That reminds me, why did you pull all those evil pranks in the first place?" asked Raven.

"I only did those pranks because those people deserved it! Daring's blinding smile had me seeing spots so I had to dim down his teeth! Cedar actually called my skin gross looking, Duchess was being a royal snob, and don't get me started on Professor Rumpelstiltskin! He's the meanest teacher ever after! I mean, seriously! Who hires a guy like that?!"

"That gives you no excuse to poison him like that! He's still recovering in the hospital!" Raven replied. "And what about Ashlynn? Why'd you cast that spell on her shoes?"

"Well, I just wanted to try out this new spell I learned." Wicca cackled. "I threw that in for free!"

Raven shook her head. "Wicca, you can't be mean to people on a whim! I mean, Daring can't help it with his blinding smile, Cedar's cursed to tell the truth, and-"

"Duchess and Rumpelstiltskin are natural born jerks?" Wicca answered.

"Not...quite what I had in mind. But you have to show self-control. If you get in too much trouble, you could get expelled!"

"Yeah, Wanna-be evil!"

Wicca's hat was yanked off her head. Faybelle Thorn laughed as she twirled the witch's hat by her finger. "Busted by the big man, huh, West? It doesn't matter how many pitiful pranks you pull, you'll never catch up to the real villains."

Raven used her magic to retrieve Wicca's hat and placed it back on her friend's head. "Leave her alone, Faybelle!"

"Oh, what are you gonna do, Queen? Poison me?" the daughter of the Dark Fairy snorted. "Oh, wait! You don't have the guts to poison anyone! Not even that sickly sweet Apple White!" She laughed as she tossed her platinum ponytail. "Spell you later, losers!" And Faybelle flew away, blasting the girls with a snootful of fairy dust.

Wicca growled, using her hat to brush off the fairy dust. "That Faybelle think she's so hot! Well, she's number one on my hit list!"

Raven put a hand on Wicca's shoulder. "Wicca, you're just gonna have to ignore Faybelle. She's not worth getting upset over. And as for your roommate problem, it's not as bad as you think it is. Take it from the girl who has Apple White for a roommate."

Wicca blinked. "Come to think of it, you're right! How can you stand being in the same room with that girly girl?"

"It wasn't easy." said Raven, shaking her head. "What with Apple's cheerful singing in the morning, her songbirds fluttering all around the room, and the countless apples from her fans piling up in our dorm. But we eventually got used to each other's differences and got along great."

"So, you think me and this Carol or Coral or whatever her name is will get along fine?"

"Only if you give her a chance." Raven said seriously. "I know you're a villain, Wicca. But you need to tone down the eviltude if you want to make friends. It's better to have more friends than enemies."

Wicca sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe having a roommate won't be a total drag."


	2. New Roommate

Wicca sighed as she sat in her dorm room. She can't cause any havoc or she'll be in big trouble.

It just wasn't fair. Wicca wanted to be a baddest witch in history. Think of all the great villains who didn't become legends by being nice. Like her mother, the Wicked Witch of the West, took over the realm of Oz with a green iron fist.

And that's not all. There was the Evil Queen, the most feared and powerful villain in fairytale history. Poisoning Snow White was only the tip of the witch's hat. She went beyond her story and tried to take over Wonderland and already dominated several kingdoms. She was the picture of evil elegance.

And here was Wicca, moping around on her bed ready to greet some new girl.

"Well, at least she's a villain." Wicca said. "But that could spell trouble..."

Wicca didn't want a goody goody for a roommate. But if Wicca wanted to be the greatest villain ever, she had to keep her competition out of the way. So far, there weren't many contenders.

Like Raven Queen, who chose good despite being the Evil Queen's daughter and having powerful dark magic up her sleeve. And Ginger Breadhouse, daughter of the Candy Witch. She wants to be a professional chef and bake sweet treats for everyone to enjoy.

Wicca's main opponent was Faybelle Thorn, the daughter of the Dark Fairy. Not only did she possess unlimited power like Raven and Wicca, but she embraced her evil side and wants to be the best villain ever.

And this Coral Witch...who knows what she's like? What if she was a dedicated villain like Faybelle? More villains meant more competition for Wicca.

But there can only be one queen of villains. And Wicca was going to be that queen.

A knock came to the door. Wicca sighed, climbed out of her bed, and used her magic to open the door.

Standing in the doorway was Coral Witch, daughter of the Sea Witch.

She certainly looked like a villain. Coral had lovely delicate features with pale blue skin and flowing dark blue-black hair. Her asymmetrical dress had a black top with a long shiny red skirt that resembled a tail.

"So..." Wicca started slowly. "You're my new roommate?"

"Yeah, I am." Coral said, walking in. "I'm Coral Witch."

"Nice to meet you, Coral. I'm Wicca." The witch said with hardly any enthusiasm. "Now, since you're new here. I'm going to have to lay down the rules." Wicca pointed a finger and shot a blast of magic on the floor to make a green line that divided the room. "See this line? Stay on your side of it. And in return, I'll stay on my side. So, if we stay in our own spaces, we won't have a problem, okay?"

Coral nodded. She looked a little sad.

Wica thought back to Raven's advice about making friends. "If you want, I can help decorate your half of the room."

"You will?" Coral's tone lightened up a little. "O-Okay."

Wicca helped Coral unpack her trunks. "So, you're going to be the next sea witch? And Meeshell Mermaid is your arch nemesis?"

"Well, not exactly." Coral said. "Meeshell and I are friends, not enemies. You see, we talked over what we wanted to do with our stories. Once I take her voice and give it to my mother, I'm going into Beast Care and Magicment and use my powers to help sea creatures."

"Whoa! Back up!" Wicca said, showing the first sign of emotion since her roomie arrived. "You're not going to keep Meeshell's voice? And you're not going to continue being a villain?"

Coral shook her head. "No, I don't even like being a villain. But I have to play my part so my mom can get the voice of the mermaid princess."

"Why does your mom even want Meeshell's voice? Is it part of some plan to take over the world?"

"No, she just wants to be a singer."

Wicca cocked her head forward. "A singer?!"

"Yep. We sea witches aren't good singers since we're half mermaid. So, when my mom gets the voice of her dreams, she can finally leave her sea cave and travel the world as a famous singer. It's what she's always dreamed of."

"Wow," Was all Wicca could say. She heard rumors of how vile and fearsome the mighty Sea Witch is beneath the waves. But who knew she had such a low-level objective like becoming a singer?

At least this Coral is just another goody goody, a villain that was no competition.

"Huh. Well, that's great." Wicca smiled.

"Really? You don't think it's weird that my mom wants to be a singer or me taking care of animals?!"

"Not at all." Wicca said, her tone upbeat. "You should follow your dreams, Coral. And don't let anyone tell you different."

Coral smiled at last. "Thanks, Wicca! That means a lot." She looked around and cringed bit at the green walls.

"Want a new paint job?" asked Wicca.

Coral nodded. "Could you make it dark blue? It reminds me of my cave back home."

"You got it." Wicca cracked her knuckles and recited a spell. Literally just like magic, Coral's half of the room where black and dark blue. Her trinkets and photos back home were set up neatly.

It looked like Coral's room was like the bottom of the darkest ocean, just the way she liked it.

"Whoa! That was amazing!" Coral's eyes were filled with wonder. "I could never do spells that good!"

Wicca blew her fingernails. "Of course, West witches are masters of magic. So, how good is your magic?"

"Well..." Coral fidgeted a little. "I have this wand made from abalone shell." She reached into her anchor shaped purse and pulled out her wand.

"Wow! It's beautiful!" Wicca said, genuinely impressed. "I wish I had a wand."

Coral shrugged. "It's okay, but I'm still not very good."

"Well, that's what school is for." Wicca put an arm around Wicca. "We've got some pretty good magic classes. I'll show you around."

* * *

Wicca began walking Coral down the halls. Coral smiled as she admired the school, it seems Wicca was doing good making a friend.

And Wicca was feeling...good. Maybe this making new friends thing wasn't so bad.

Just then, a blur whizzed past Wicca. She felt a fairy wing whack the witch hat right off her head.

"HEY!" Wicca whipped around and saw none other than Faybelle.

But Faybelle just kept flying, which struck odd to Wicca. Normally, Faybelle would laugh and make fun of Wicca when she purposely bumps into her. But it seems Faybelle was in a hurry, like something urgent was going on.

"Uh, who was that?" asked Coral.

"Faybelle Thorn, daughter of the Dark Fairy and a true villain." Wicca said. "Just ignore her, even though it's hard."

"Hey, Wicca!" Raven waved.

"Raven! Hey, girl!" Wicca brought over the sea witch to her good friend. "This is Coral Witch. Coral, this is my friend Raven Queen, daughter of the Evil Queen."

To say Coral was surprised would be an understatement. She heard all about the wicked tales of the Evil Queen.

"Nice to meet you, Coral." Raven smiled and extended her hand. A bit wary, Coral shook the kind girl's hand. "Welcome to Ever After High."

Coral blinked and relaxed a little. Guess this Raven Queen wasn't as horrid as her mother.

"Care to join us on the tour, Raven?" Wicca offered. "You know the entire school like the back of your hand."

"Can do." Raven said a wink. "Right this way."

The girls kept up with the tour until they saw Rosabella Beauty looking at a poster on the wall. And she looked shocked.

"Hey, Rose." Wicca greeted. "Why's your face hanging out?"

"This!" Rosabella pointed to the volunteer sign up sheet for the Villain's Ball. Rosabella's signature was written for coat check, bathroom attendant, and refreshment service.

"Wow! You sure want to help out!" Raven said.

"Yeah, Rose. I appreciate the help for us villains, but this seems a bit too much." Wicca pointed out. "You have to do three jobs at once!"

"But that's that problem! I didn't sign up for them!" Rosabella said. "And Briar was suppose to help decorate for the party, but I haven't seen her all day and she hasn't been answering my calls!"

"Say what?!" Wicca said.

"Ah! Miss Beauty! There you are!" Headmaster Grimm walked towards the students. "Thank you so much for volunteering!"

Rosabella was about to protest until Duchess Swan came from behind the headmaster. "Oh, yes, Rosabella! You're an inspiration to all of us! Headmaster Grimm, you better send Rosabella to the janitor's closet so she can get started on cleaning up the ballroom for the big night!"

"Of course!" But before he left, Headmaster Grimm gave Wicca a cold look. "Miss West, I hexpect you to behave yourself for the dance. Keep your wickedness in check!"

Wicca frowned.

With that said, Headmaster Grimm took Rosabella's hand. "This way, my dear!"

Wicca looked at Duchess and saw a smile on her face. An evil smile.

Raven crossed her arms and threw Duchess some shade. "What are you up to, Duchess?"

"I'm glad you asked." Duchess took out her swan feather quill pen and grabbed Wicca's hand.

"HEY! What are you-?!"

Suddenly, Duchess's pen floated and wrote Rosabella's signature on Wicca's hand.

"Not bad, huh?" Duchess bragged. "I had Faybelle cast a signature spell on my quill that signed Beauty's name on all those jobs." She chuckled. "While she's tripping all over herself at the ball, I'm gonna have Daring all to myself!" She gleefully twirled on her toes. "I better get my outfit picked out!" She pirouetted down the halls.

Coral stared at the wicked ballerina. "Um, I take it she's a true villain too?"

"No, that was Duchess Swan. She maybe a good princess in her story, but deep down inside her beats the cold heart of a villain." Wicca grabbed Coral and Raven by the hand. "Come on!"

"W-Where are we going?!" Raven said.

Wicca's eyes flashed. "To do something about this! That's where!"


	3. Exposed

With her friends in tow, Wicca marched to the ballroom with her friends and spotted Rosabella moping the floors.

"Wicca?" Rosabella wiped the sweat off her brow. "What's up?"

"It's Duchess. She's what's up." said the young witch. "She's the one who put your signature on all those jobs!"

"What?!" Rosabella dropped her mop. "But why?!"

"Because while you're doing all that work, Duchess is going to steal Daring away from you at the dance!" Wicca balled up her fist. "She's not getting away with this!"

Rosabella tried to calm Wicca down. "It's okay, Wicca. I don't really mind-"

"No, no, no! It's not okay!" Wicca protested. "I know you're nice and like to help, Rose. But you're being a total pushover! I'll turn Duchess into a frog and then problem solved!"

"But Headmaster Grimm said you can't do anything wicked or you'll get in trouble!" Raven reminded her.

"Well, what am I suppose to do?! That prissy powderpuff thinks she can cause evil mayhem while I can't?!" Wicca complained. "It's not fair! Duchess needs to learn a lesson! She's got Rosabella doing three jobs at once! She-" Wicca paused. "Wait a minute, wait a minute..."

Raven saw Wicca get a nasty smile. "What are you thinking, Wicca?"

"I know a way how we can help Rose and keep Duchess in her proper place." Wicca rubbed her hands together. "A duplication spell!"

"A duplication spell?!" Raven exclaimed. "That's...that's not a bad idea. That way, Rosabella can be in three places at once!"

"That's a great idea!" Rosabella said. "But have you ever done a spell like that before?"

"Well, not really. But I'll try the best I can." Wicca reached into her cauldron purse and took out a small book. The cover was made of ancient black leather.

"What's that?" asked Coral.

"My mother's book of spells." Wicca said. She opened it and skimmed through the yellow pages. "It contains the most evil of spells for the most wicked of witches. Let's see...hmmm..." Wicca looked carefully. "A-ha! Here we go!" She pointed a finger at Rosabella and read the spell out loud.

 _"Through this spell in progress,_

 _I cast magical mitosis._

 _Divide and triplicate,_

 _Rosabella Beauty shall SPLIT!"_

A green whirlwind spun around Rosabella Beauty. She felt her body stretching out as green light bathed over her.

 **FLASH!**

When the green wind faded, there was not one, not two, but four Rosabellas!

"Whoa!" Raven gasped.

"Wicked!" Coral breathed.

Wicca smiled with pride. "Wicked indeed."

"This is amazing!" Rosabella said.

"Totally amazing!" Second Rosabella said.

"Now we can do all of the jobs no problem!" Third Rosabella said.

"And we'll still get to dance with Daring tonight!" Fourth Rosabella said.

Wicca cackled. "Duchess's head will be spinning!"

"I just can't believe you pulled off a duplication spell!" Raven said. "That takes a lot of magic to pull off!"

"Raven, a simple duplication spell is child's play to me!" Wicca reminded her friend. "After all, I'm the daughter of the most powerful villain in the fairy tale world!"

"But I thought the Evil Queen was the most powerful." Coral said.

"She has a point." Raven said. "Trust me, I know."

Wicca frowned. But it was true. The Evil Queen was the most powerful villain ever known. Sure, Wicca's mom, the Wicked Witch of the West was the most powerful in Oz, but not Ever After.

If only the Wicked Witch rampaged through Ever After instead of Oz, maybe she would still be a person again. Standing on two legs and had two arms to wrap her precious daughter in a big hug.

Wicca longed to be embraced in her own mother's arms. But she was nothing but green goo kept in a glass container. Despite this, she still existed.

And that had to be kept secret. No one could ever know that the Wicked Witch was still alive.

"Wicca?! Are you okay?!" Raven said. "You're crying!"

Wicca felt something running down her cheek. Thinking about her mother's condition made her unconsciously shed a tear.

"Sorry, Raven." Wicca wiped her eye. "I was just thinking about my mom. Talking about your mom made me miss my mom. Well...I mean, the fact that I don't have one. And that I never got to do the things people do with their moms." Wicca said. "I never got a mom who gives me hugs or tucks me in at night or go broomstick riding with." Her throat grew a lump. "I don't even have a mom to take to Parent's Day!"

Wicca sniffled as she wiped her tears. "Just look at me! Balling like a big baby! A wicked witch isn't suppose to feel like this!" Now Wicca was saddened and ashamed.

"Wicca! It's okay to feel things!" Raven said, hugging her green friend. "I know it's hard for you, but being a villain doesn't mean you can't have emotions. Because it's better to feel something than nothing at all."

"She's right, Wicca. But you can't beat yourself up like this. Your mother wouldn't want to see you upset like this, would she?" Rosabella inquired. "I know you lost her, but grieving isn't going to make things better. You have to keep your head up."

Their words touched Wicca's black heart. Wicca choked back her tears and tightened her fists. "You're right. I'll be worthy of my mom's sacrifice and make her proud!"

"That's the spirit!" Raven patted Wicca's back. "Now, what do you say we set up this dance right?" She waved her hands and the party decorations rose from their boxes. The black and purple streamers were hung on the ceiling.

"My turn!" Wicca said a spell that turned the diamond chandelier into a black mirror ball.

"Wow! I've never seen a black mirror ball before." Rosabella pointed out.

"Well, you can't have a wicked ball without one of these puppies!" Wicca shined a green light with her finger and the room was sparkling with green. Then Wicca played some tunes on her mirrorphone and started dancing. "Uh-huh! Oh yeah! Uh-huh! Oh yeah!" Wicca strutted her stuff on the dance floor.

The girls laughed seeing Wicca boogie down. Soon enough, all the girls were having a dance of their own. Coral was having trouble dancing, every time she tried to dance, she would nearly fall over herself!

"Whoa!" Wicca grabbed Coral before she took a tumble. "What's the matter with you, Coral? First day with your legs?"

Coral wasn't smiling. "Actually, yes. I just conjured up these legs this morning. I'm still getting used to them. Guess I should have practiced before I came here."

"Here, let's try a conga line. Follow my lead." Wicca stood in front of Coral and put her blue hands hands on her shoulders and the witch began the conga. "One, two, cha, cha, cha! One, two, cha, cha, cha!"

"One, two, cha, cha, cha! One, two, cha, cha, cha!" Coral, Raven, and the four Rosabellas were doing a conga line.

"Hey! Mind if I join you?"

"WHOA!" Wicca jumped, breaking up the conga line.

It was Cerise Hood, daughter of Little Red Riding Hood.

"Where did you come from, Hood?!" Wicca was caught completely off guard. She didn't see or hear Cerise come in, let alone be a few feet from her!

Cerise laughed. "I followed the sound of the music! I didn't know the dance was starting already!" Cerise blinked twice and rubbed her eyes. "And am I seeing quadruple cause there's four Rosabellas!"

"Relax, these are just extra Rosabellas I made for the dance!" Wicca said. "But what I want to know is how you snuck in here without making a sound!"

Cerise merely shrugged. "Just light on my feet."

"Anyway, me and the other mes have to get this ballroom ready." Rosabella said.

"You sure you don't need extra help?" Cerise asked.

Rosabella shook her head. "Nah, it's okay. Wicca went through all this trouble to help me."

"And my name is put on the sign up sheet after all." said second Rosabella.

"Let's get this party started!" Third Rosabella cheered.

"YEAH!" Fourth Rosabella said.

"Well, I'm going to volunteer." Raven said with a smile. "How about you, Cerise?"

"No, thanks. I'm going for a jog in the Enchanted Forest!" Cerise fixed her hood and took off. "See ya!" And she took off in a speedy dash.

Wicca saw how fast Cerise was. To say she wasn't impressed would be untrue. In fact, she was not only impressed, but curious. "Say, Coral. Why don't you stay here and help out Raven and the Rosabellas? I have to use the little witch's room and freshen up."

"Sure! No problem." said Coral.

* * *

In the Enchanted Forest, Cerise was rushing through the woods, feeling the wind blow against her.

She skidded to a stop, her hood slipping off, revealing her wolf ears.

But Cerise didn't mind. She knew she was all alone in the forest. To be wild and free, to be her true self, is something she must keep secret. So for now, she enjoyed her secret in solitude.

As she stretched out, a voice came from behind.

"Well, I'll be a flying monkey's uncle."

Cerise spun around and saw Wicca West standing right behind her.


	4. A Wicked Alliance

Cerise felt like her entire world was shattered.

Wicca West, a villain, discovered her deepest, darkest secret.

"Wicca!" Cerise pulled up her hood in a flash. "I'm...just having a bad hair day-"

"Save it. No need to hand me a line." said Wicca. "I saw those wolf ears poking out of your head."

Cerise hesitated, the sighed in defeat. "Please don't tell anyone!" she begged. "Nobody can know about this!"

"Relax. I won't tell anyone. But I think you better explain yourself, _Cerise_...if that's your real name." Wicca said seriously.

"It is my real name." With a regretful look, Cerise took out her locket and showed Wicca her family picture. "You see, my mom, Red Riding Hood, married the Big Bad Wolf."

She paused, waiting for Wicca to respond. She looked very surprised. Wicca always thought the Hoods and the Wolves were mortal enemies.

And yet, here was Cerise, a child of both.

"So...Mr. Badwolf...is your dad?!"

"Yeah..." Cerise nodded shyly.

"And Ramona Badwolf is your sister?!"

"Yeah..." Cerise nodded again.

"Wow, just when you think you've seen it all." Wicca smiled. "That explains why you're so fast and hardly talk to anyone. But what I want to know is why. Why would a villain and his nemesis be married and have children?"

Cerise just smiled and shrugged. "Because they fell in love."

"Because they fell in love?" Wicca said. Never would she imagine her own General Villainy teacher would be married to a simple do-gooder like Red Riding Hood.

"They started seeing each other in school. And they're love really took off during their story. Once it was all over, they secretly got married." Cerise explained.

"If that's the truth then why are you keeping this all a secret?" Wicca asked.

"Because I'm a child that shouldn't be born!" Cerise exclaimed, her words stinging her. She sighed. "It's against the rules of destiny. If everyone knew who my family was, they'd flip their crowns and who knows what they'll do to Ramona and me. So, we all agreed that until after graduation, our family has to be a secret."

Wicca hummed thoughtfully. "I see. But don't worry, Cerise. I won't tell a soul."

"You won't?" Cerise asked hopefully.

"Of course not. I maybe a villain, but I'm not stupid. Why should I go around blabbing out something they don't know? Something this huge? You have my word that I won't tell anyone."

Trusting her words, Cerise felt relieved. "Thanks, Wicca. Guess I had you pegged all wrong."

"I don't blame you."

With the tension behind them, the girls walked through the forest together and talked some more.

"So, you have all the powers of a wolf, huh? Like heightened senses?"

Cerise smiled proudly. "Yep! Enhanced hearing, smelling, and speed. But best of all, my hood."

"Your hood?"

"Yeah! With it, I can travel through the shadows. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Very cool." At that moment, Wicca had a brilliant idea. "Say, Cerise. Think you can do me a favor? As a friend?"

"Sure, what kind of favor."

"You see, I need your help." Wicca put a hand on Cerise's shoulder. "I need you to spy on Faybelle."

"What?! Spy on Faybelle?! Why?!"

Wicca leaned close. "Because I think she's up to something. Something pretty evil."

Hearing this, Cerise began to understand. "Really?" she whispered.

Cerise as well as everyone else at Ever After High knew Faybelle was just as sneaky and wicked as a villain should be. So it's not a surprise to know that the dark fairy was up to something evil.

"It's like this, Cerise. Faybelle and I aren't friends. So if I started spying on her, she'll obviously get suspicious. So I need someone to watch her, someone who she least suspects. And I figured someone of your talents will be the perfect spy."

"Even if that's true, I can't just spy on a dark fairy! What if I get caught and Faybelle puts some kind of curse on me?!"

Wicca rubbed her chin. "Good point." She snapped her fingers. "I got it!" She got on her broomstick and offered Cerise a seat. "Come with me."

Cerise hopped on the broom and Wicca flew off towards the school. They went through an open window and seeing the green and black everywhere, Cerise knew right away that this was Wicca's room.

Wicca got off her broom and started rummaging through an old jewelry box "Let's see..." She searched through many accessories until she found what she was looking for. "Bingo!"

The young witch pulled out an green jewel amulet with a silver chain. "Here's one of my mother's magic amulets. This baby will protect you from dark magic. So if Faybelle casts any spells on you, the stone will absorb the magic and keep you safe." She handed Cerise the amulet.

"Whoa! And you're giving it to me?!" Cerise was amazed Wicca would give her such a powerful artifact.

"Sure, just remember to always wear it under your shirt where it's close to your heart. Otherwise, it won't work." Wicca instructed.

Cerise did as told and wore the amulet under her shirt, close to her heart.

"Now remember, don't let your guard down for a moment. Faybelle's a lot smarter than she looks." Wicca warned. "Contact me the moment you get something good!"

"You got it, Wicca!" Cerise saluted. And she ran into the shadows and disappeared.

Once Wicca was gone, Wicca smiled. Her plan was a success. She got herself a spy.

Wicca's mirrorphone chimed. Her answered it. "Hello?"

It was Raven. "Wicca! You done freshening up yet? We're heading off to the Mad Hatter's Tea shop."

"Sorry, Raven! I'll be there in a witch's flash!" Wicca got on her room and zipped out the door.

* * *

Cerise appeared from the darkness once she picked up Faybelle's scent. She spotted the dark fairy leaving the Vault of Lost Tales, looking back and forth to make sure no one was watching.

That was the first sign that Faybelle was up to wicked trouble.

The Vault of Lost Tales was a library far beneath the school that contained books that had been long forgotten. Books that weren't on any of the class lists, it was the perfect place to find research on something evil.

And Cerise saw a couple of books in her hand.

Faybelle flew off down the hallway and out the window a nearby window. Cerise couldn't fly, but she can find Faybelle by her smell. She dove back to the shadows, her nose right on the fairy's scent.

After a few minutes of sniff searching, Cerise's nose stopped outside of Headmaster Grimm's office.

"That's weird..." Cerise said. Why would Faybelle be sneaking around the Vault of Lost Tales then pick up her scent within the headmaster's office? She sniffed the air again and Faybelle's scent was gone. "Where could Faybelle be?"

"Looking for me?"

Cerise nearly jumped out of her hood. Faybelle had moved with such silence and was standing right behind her.

"Oh! Faybelle! There you are!" Cerise said, putting on a false smile.

With a cold look in her eye, Faybelle flew up high and cheered a spell.

 _Speak truth all day._

 _Share no more lies._

 _Reveal secrets you've been told._

 _And let no one wear a disguise._

She aimed the fairy dust at Cerise. The dust swirled, then disappeared around her.

Faybelle landed on her feet and looked at Cerise straight in the eye. "Alright, Hoodwink. Are you spying on me?"

Normally, a truth spell would make someone immediately confess. But when Faybelle cast her spell, Cerise felt nothing at all. The amulet must have worked! Quickly, she thought of the perfect lie.

"I wasn't spying on you, Faybelle." Cerise said with expert honesty.

Thinking her spell had worked, Faybelle continued to interrogate Cerise. "Then why are you sneaking around looking for me?"

"Because I wanted to ask you something." Cerise answered. "I want to try out for the cheer squad."

Faybelle snorted. "You? Try out for my squad?"

Cerise nodded. "Yeah, seeing you and the squad cheering and doing those amazing moves! Jumping, flipping, twirling in the air! I really want to be a part of all that. But I was afraid people would make fun of me for wanting to be a cheerleader, so I wanted to ask you in private since you're the best cheerleader around."

Faybelle thought about this. "Well, we could use some fresh meat in our group. I've seen you in Grimmnastics class and you're pretty athletic." She crossed her arms and gave Cerise a very intense look. "Tell you what, Cerise. Tomorrow morning, meet me at the bookball field and we'll see what you can do."

"Tomorrow morning?"

"That's right. And you better bring your A game." Faybelle warned. "I don't want any amateurs on my squad."

"Yes, Ma'am."

And Faybelle flew off. Cerise exhaled a big breath of relief. She took out her phone and texted Wicca.

 **Got some news on Faybelle. Meet me at my dorm room**

A few minutes later, Wicca replied.

 **On my way**


	5. Cheer for the Rebels

Once classes were over, Wicca arrived at Cerise's dorm. She knocked on the door and Cerise quickly opened it, beckoning Wicca inside.

Wicca looked around. "Where's Cedar?"

"She's hanging out with Maddie and Lizzie. So it's just us two." Cerise hopped on her bed.

"Okay, so what have you got for me?" asked Wicca.

"Well, I spotted Faybelle sneaking out of the Vault of Lost Tales, carrying some books. Then I lost her and picked up her scent coming from Headmaster Grimm's office."

"The headmaster's office?" Wicca said. "What would she be doing there?"

"Maybe she's running errands for Headmaster Grimm?"

Wicca shook her head. "No, Faybelle wouldn't be sneaking around if she was just running errands. She's up to something and I know it."

"She probably is. Because she appeared right behind me and tried to interrogate me with a truth spell! Thank fairy godmother for this amulet or I would have been toast! I had to come up with a good excuse for following Faybelle so I told her I wanted to try out for the cheer squad! I can't believe I said that!"

"Neither can I." Wicca smiled though. "But this just what we needed!"

"It is?"

"Of course! Joining the cheer squad will be the perfect way to get closer to Faybelle and find out what she's up to!" Wicca rubbed her hands together. "This is going to be a cinch!"

Cerise stood up. "But a cheerleader has to do flips, somersaults, cartwheels, and twirl in the air!"

"And can you do any of that stuff?" asked Wicca.

"Of course I can. But if I do any of that stuff, my hood will slip and it'll blow down my whole secret!" Cerise emphasized this by pulling down her hood and pointing to her wolf ears.

"Hmm, good point." Wicca thoughtfully rubbed her chin, a habit of hers when she does her best thinking.

"I got it! I'll work on a potion to hide your ears! We'll need to work fast! So, you practice your moves while I work on the potion!" She rushed to the door but Cerise stopped her.

"But what if I'm no good?! I mean, I've always wanted to be part of a group and it would be fun to join the cheer squad, but because of these ears-"

"That has nothing to do with anything, Cerise!" Wicca countered. "If you know you've got the right skills to be a cheerleader and be part of a group, then you should go for it! And don't worry about your ears, I promise to help you hide them! The last thing I want is putting your secret in jeopardy!"

"R-Really?" Cerise said, touched.

"Of course. You're more than just a girl who's half wolf, you're my friend!" Wicca said. "I mean, we might as well be friends since we're helping each other out like this."

Cerise listened as Wicca went on. "And let me tell you something else, you're gonna make that squad because I believe you can. Just like I know I can perfect this potion because I believe I can! And if I can believe, then you should too!"

With newfound determination rising inside her, Cerise gave off a confident grin. "Then why are you standing around here for? You've got a potion to make and I've got a routine to rehearse!"

With the same confident grin, Wicca shared a high five with her partner in crime and left the dorm.

Once the door shut behind her, Wicca did a joy jump and glided gleefully down the hall.

"This is working better than I thought!" Wicca hugged herself. "This is gonna be my biggest-"

Suddenly, Wicca tripped over something rather large. She fell to the floor, nearly landing on her face.

"What the hex-"

When she looked over, she saw it was Briar Beauty, daughter of Sleeping Beauty. Therefore, she's inherited her mother's curse of always falling asleep at the most random times...like in the middle of the hallway!

Wicca rolled her eyes. "Oh, for crying out loud, Beauty..." She picked up Briar and set her upright against the wall. "Hey, Briar! Wake up! Snap out of it! WAKE UP!"

But Briar didn't wake up. She just fell over and kept snoring

With an exasperated sigh, Wicca cleared her throat and got very close to Briar's ear.

Then she uncorked the most shrill, fiendish witch's cackle she could muster.

Briar jolted awake, her eyes wide like they were about to explode. She spun her head around until she met Wicca's smug face. "W-Wha-?! Wicca?!"

"Took you long enough, Snoring Beauty."

Briar appeared rather distressed. "How long was I asleep?!"

Wicca shrugged. "I don't know. I just found you like this. Try to retrace your steps."

"Well, I got up this morning, and I was about to go to class, but I was still tired. I kept thinking about wanting to go back to bed and then..." She gasped. "Oh my fairy godmother! I slept through the whole day of school!"

Wicca laughed. "Unbelievable!"

Briar stood up and glared at the wicked witch straight in the eye. "It's not funny, Wicca! You don't know what it's like to be "destined" with a stupid sleeping curse!"

Wicca just swaggered up and crossed her arms with a nasty little smile. "You're right. I'll never know what it's like because I'm not the star of one of the lamest stories ever after! I mean, come on! Falling asleep for a hundred years and for what? Have some random Prince Charming wake you with a kiss? Pretty dumb if you ask me."

Briar's glare intensified. Wicca waited for the princess to brag about some good point to her story, so she was surprised when Briar's glare withered away and was replaced with a sad look.

"Yeah, it is pretty dumb." Briar said.

Now Wicca was really surprised. "You mean...you don't want your-"

"SHHH!" Briar silenced the witch. She looked around to see if anyone else was looking, then she took Wicca by her hand. "Follow me."

Briar led Wicca further down the girls' dorm and went into her room. Wicca was amazed by Briar's side of the room. There was pink, magenta, and roses are far as her green eyes can see.

"Sheesh, are there enough roses in here?" Wicca said. "So, any particular reason you dragged me in here?"

"Because I didn't want anyone to hear," Briar rubbed her arms. She especially didn't want a certain dark fairy to eavesdrop on them.

Wicca leaned against the wall. "So, Briar Beauty doesn't want to be the next Sleeping Beauty, huh?"

Briar shook her head. "No, not anymore. I used to think my story was great, but I always knew that the big sleep was coming. Which is why I spend everyday to it's fullest."

"Oh! So, that's why you're such a party girl and zip-lining and doing wild stuff like that!" Wicca said. "No wonder you don't want your destiny! You'll miss all the fun!"

"That's not why!" Briar stomped her pink stiletto on the floor. "I don't want to fall asleep because I'll lose my family and friends! Once I wake up, I'll lose everyone I ever loved and be all alone!"

Wicca shifted in shock. Briar almost threw a witchy tantrum like Wicca.

"Oh, I...never thought of that." Now Wicca could understand Briar's pain. "Have you always felt this way?"

Briar shook her head. "No, it was last year at thronecoming when I fell asleep and missed float building, that's I realized that my destiny wasn't all it's cracked up to be." Briar threw her hands up. "Why did I have to miss a party to see that?! I should have known better! And now, I just don't know what to do!"

"Whoa! Take it easy, Briar!" Wicca tried to calm the princess down. "It's not a big deal! If you don't want to follow your destiny, then don't! Be a rebel!"

"I can't be a rebel!" Briar looked around nervously. "What will Faybelle think?"

Wicca blinked. "Ohhhh, yeah. Faybelle..."

"Ever since we were kids, Faybelle's been looking forward to cursing me. If she finds out I'm going rebel, it's The End for me!"

"Relax, Briar. Re-lax." Wicca said. She took a seat and put an arm around Briar. "Look, I know this is a lot on your mind, but you've got it let it go and calm down."

"But what about when I graduate?! Faybelle will curse me for sure!"

Wicca shook her head. "Briar, I may be the new girl, but Raven told me a lot has happened here at Ever After High. She rejected being the Evil Queen and Apple was determined to have Raven follow her dark path, even if it meant freeing the Evil Queen herself! But against all odds, Apple and Raven were able to make amends and let things play by ear when they graduate."

"You're saying that Faybelle and I will work things out?" Briar asked incredulously. "Wicca, this is Faybelle we're talking about. Faybelle Thorn!"

"I know that. But what I'm saying is, if you let things play by ear, your problems can work out on their own." She patted Briar's shoulder. "It's like my Uncle Julio used to say, 'You can't worry your worries away.'"

Briar felt hope fill her heart hearing Wicca's sage advice. "I know how you feel, Briar. My story doesn't end well for me either. I'm on your side. But I promise you, everything will work out in time. No sense getting depressed over it."

Wicca got up and walked to the door. "Spell you later, Briar." She looked around. "And you seriously need to drop all this pink, it's making my eyes burn."

As Wicca returned to her room, she thought about Briar going rebel. That definitely isn't going to bode well with Faybelle.

But now wasn't the time to ponder over that. She had a potion to make.

Wicca returned to her room to find Coral sitting on her bed. She wore a red seaweed bathrobe around her.

"Where have you been?" asked Coral.

"Just busy with schoolwork." Wicca lied. "I have a lot of work to do for hextra credit. I'll soundproof my side so you can sleep." She waved her hands up and created a magical green dome over her side of the room.

Coral thanked Wicca for being so considerate. But, of course, Wicca didn't hear her. She took out her best cauldron and rummaged through her shelf of potion ingredients. She skimmed through the pages of her mother's spell book. "This potion won't be easy. But it'll be worth it. Cerise has to make that team."

Wicca adjusted her black hat and got to work.


	6. Black Sludge and Blackmail

The sun barely risen the next day and Wicca was already wide awake. She wore her trademark black witch hat, green tattered mini dress, black boots and cape of infinite darkness she borrowed from Raven.

Wicca walked briskly down the hallway and made it to the girls bathroom. Cerise was already there and waiting for her.

"Is it ready?" Cerise said. She couldn't hide her nervousness. She didn't know what to wear, so she decided to keep it athletic and wore her track and shield uniform with a built-in hood.

"You bet your hood it's ready." Wicca took out a small container. She twisted the lid off and inside was a glowing green cream. "This potion lotion is just the thing you need." She pulled out Cerise's hood. Her wolf ears twitched with anticipated.

Wicca scooped up some cream with her fingertips and covered Cerise's ears with it. The riding hood felt her ears tingle then burn as she felt the magic take over. Her ears lost their fur and transform into human ears!

"Congratulations, Cerise! Your wolf ears are no more!" Wicca said. "And best off all, it's a hundred percent sweat resistant!"

Cerise was speechless. Normal ears. Words could not express how she felt. With these ears, she could talk closely with others and not worry about her hood slipping. All her life her ears had been concealed.

And now, they were about to be free.

"Hey!" Wicca snapped her fingers. "Focus, Cerise!"

Cerise blinked. "Oh! Sorry."

Wicca escorted Cerise out of the bathroom in a hurry. "Okay, girlfriend! Go out there and show those pom-pom pinheads some real skill!"

"You got it!" Cerise took off like a dragon leaving it's cave. She felt the air rushing through her and her hood was down. But she didn't care because she no longer had nothing to hide!

She felt freedom. Pure freedom from no longer concealing herself from others.

Time just passed as Cerise arrived on the bookball field. There, Faybelle and her cheer squad were all in their uniforms and ready to go.

The cheer squad consisted of Farrah Goodfairy, Holly O'Hair, Hunter Huntsman, Nina Thumbell, and six feisty, hot-tempered fairies who were also Faybelle's scatterbrained minions.

"Hi, Cerise!" Farrah waved. Cerise waved too until Faybelle walked up to her. She put her hand down.

Faybelle scoffed. "So, you actually decided to showed up, Hood? Hope you don't disappoint me."

Her minions snickered.

"Yeah, Hood."

"Better not slip up, Hood."

"You better have some skill, Hood."

"Hey, don't push!"

"You stop pushing!"

"Out of my way!"

Faybelle raised a hand to silence them. "Alright. Let's start with something easy. Can you do any back flips? Front flips? Somersaults? Cartwheels? Handstands?"

"All of the above." Cerise said with a confident grin.

Faybelle blinked, not expecting such a quick answer. But she kept her arms crossed and gave the Hood an intense look. "Prove it."

Cerise took a few steps back, took a deep breath, and sprang into action.

Everyone watched in slack-jawed astonishment as Cerise exploded into a frenzy of acrobatics. She flung herself in the air, leaped, twirled, flipped and landed with perfect precision.

Cerise ended with a perfect splits. She smiled proudly as she waited for a response. Cerise never felt like this before. All that jumping and moving around. It was so much fun!

"WOW! That was amazing, Cerise!" Farrah shouted.

"You did all those like a pro!" Hunter said in awe.

"Yay, Cerise!" Nina shook her pom-poms.

And what really was a triumph; Faybelle's followers were speechless. They waited for their leader to respond.

Faybelle was completely shocked. All this time she thought Cerise was just a quiet, soft wimp who hardly talks to anybody. But she had the makings of a pro cheerleader!

Cerise watched Faybelle recompose herself and smile, a small one, but a smile nonetheless.

"Alright, Hood. You're in."

"Yes!" Cerise did a back flip.

"BUT!" Faybelle exclaimed, ending Cerise's victory flips. "That doesn't mean you can just relax. I run this team like a well-oiled machine and that means you better stay on your top game. So you're on probation, understand?"

"You got it, Captain!" Cerise said with a salute.

Faybelle nodded and ordered everyone to grab their pom-poms. "Alright, team! Let's get crackin'!"

* * *

After practice, Cerise rushed to the bathroom and Wicca was right there waiting for her. They joy-hugged and squealed with happiness, jumping up and down.

"I did it! I joined the team!" Cerise exclaimed.

"That's my girl! I saw the whole thing with my all seeing eye! You were a superstar!" Wicca slapped Cerise on the back. "I'm telling ya, with my magic and your mad wolf skills, we could run this school!"

"Yeah! You know, all my life I've always been a loner because of my secret. I've never been a part of something like this. It's like...like..."

"We have a history now?" Wicca answered for the Hood. "Of course. We're friends, a team, a group. As long as we have each other's backs, there's nothing we can't do."

"Sweet! So, what's next, partner?" Cerise said with a friendly nudge.

"Well, first I'll see what Faybelle's up to now." Wicca used her all-seeing eye. She could see Faybelle talking with her fairy friends. "Hmm, she's with her minions having breakfast right now. So I need you to keep an eye on them and watch your back. You still wearing the amulet I gave you?"

Cerise nodded. "Yep. It's right under here. I'll let you know if she's up to anything."

"Thanks, Cerise. Well, time for school." Wicca and Cerise walked together before heading to their respective classes.

* * *

In Magicology class, Wicca sat next to Raven and Coral in the back of the class. Faybelle and her friends sat in the front. Faybelle always sits in the front so she can show off her magical talents.

"So, what's up, Wicca?" asked Raven.

"Not much." Wicca would love to tell Raven about her alliance with Cerise and having her spy on Faybelle, but she had to keep it under wraps.

"So, what's the teacher like?" Coral asked. "And why do we have to be here so early?"

"Because Madame Baba Yaga can't stand tardiness." Raven answered. "Last time I was late, I had to spend the entire class as a snail."

"Yeah, she's that kind of teacher." Wicca said, answering Wicca's question. "So, what are you guys wearing to the Wicked Ball tonight?"

"Well, I do have this one dress my mom had custom made for me..." Coral said.

"I'm not going." Raven said.

"Aw, come on, Raven! It'll be fun!" Wicca said. "It's a celebration of what makes us unique!"

"Yeah, being evil!" Raven said. "I'm not going to the dance. Period!"

Madame Baba Yaga arrived on her floating pillow. "Enough, chit chat, students!" she said in her dry voice. "Today we will discuss about different liquids for potion making."

Wicca tried to hold back a sigh. She was up all last night making that potion lotion for Cerise. Potion making was a snap for her. In fact, in all her magic classes, Wicca was considered a prodigy. It was her perfect score on her entrance exam that put her in the same grade as Raven.

Which was good for her. Because if she wanted to be the next Evil Queen, she had to keep ahead with her best peers.

"We'll start by turning crystal clear water into smelly black sludge." Madame Yaga floated small cauldrons of water and supplies over to them.

Wicca scoffed. This was going to ben a cinch. She took the ingredients, put in the right amount, then muttered a spell with a flick of her wrist, and POOF! The water turned into warm, smelly black sludge.

Baba Yaga went over to Wicca cauldron and placed her nose over it. She inhaled a deep breath and smiled. "Ahhhh! The most vile smelling sludge I've ever smelled! Hexcellent work, Ms. West! And in record time too!"

Wicca smiled with pride. She was the best and loved how everyone knew it.

"LOOK OUT!" Coral pushed Wicca aside and a huge ball of smelly black sludge hit her square in the face, the force knocking her out of her stool.

"Oops! Sorry!" Faybelle said with fake honesty.

Wicca looked at Coral as Raven helped her up, then she cast a glare at Faybelle. "You did that on purpose!"

Faybelle put a hand to her chest. "Me? Oh, no! It was an accident!" But her snickering minions said otherwise.

Wicca balled her fists. The classic 'It was an accident' line. A perfect way to cause havoc on someone and not get in trouble.

"Coral! Are you alright?!" Raven used her magic to clear the sludge off Coral's face. The young sea witch groaned as she held her face. It felt hot and burning.

"My face feels like it's on fire!" Coral said in a weak voice.

"Maybe it'll bring some color into that ghoulish face of yours!" Faybelle quipped. She and her minions laughed.

Enraged, Wicca decided to teach Faybelle a lesson. One point from her finger and Faybelle's face will be covered in warts and all her hair will fall out.

But a blast of purple magic shot from behind Wicca and landed on all the cauldrons. The black sludge bubbled wildly then burst out, forming a giant tidal wave! Faybelle and her friends screamed as the sludge wave wiped them out.

Wicca turned and saw it was Raven who cast the spell. Her hand was extended and her eyes were alight with an eerie purple glow.

Baba Yaga took out a knotty stick and waved a circle in the air. The sludge dissipated and Faybelle and her friends were covered in black sludge and smelled like fermented ogre socks.

"MS. QUEEN!" Baba Yaga screeched. Raven winced as the professor approached her. She waited for the worst, but the sorceress smiled. "Well done! I'm glad to see you're finally embracing your evil!"

Raven blinked, then felt the regret setting in. "B-But I-"

"Now, now. There's no sense denying it." Baba Yaga took out a healing ointment from the fairy first aid kit and applied it to Coral's face. "There's nothing wrong with quenching your thirst for vengeance."

Before Raven could protest, the dismissal bell rang and everyone had to leave. Faybelle stormed out of the room, completely angered and humiliated.

Raven sighed as she, Wicca and Coral left the room.

"Are you okay, Coral?" asked Wicca.

"Yeah, that ointment really works like magic!" Coral said. "My face feels cool and fresh as an ocean wave!"

"I just can't believe you took a magic mud ball for me!" Wicca said, putting an arm around her roommate.

Raven smiled. "Yeah, that was pretty awesome."

The air around Coral's face turned red. "Aw, thanks."

"But man, Raven! When you summoned that sludge tidal wave and wiped out Faybelle, that was hexcellent!" Wicca cackled. "She's gonna have gunk in places a fire hose won't be able to get at."

"Don't hexpect that to ever happen again." Raven said in a no-nonsense tone. "I don't know what came over me."

"You stood up for a friend and gave Faybelle her just desserts, that's what you did." Wicca said. "Don't worry about what Madame Yaga said."

Suddenly, Blondie Lockes rushed up to Raven and shoved her mirrorpad in her face. "Raven! Is it true you cast an evil spell on Faybelle Thorn and her friends in Magicology class?"

"What?! How do you know about that?!"

"It's all over the mirrornet! A student posted the video online!"

Raven opened her mouth to protest, but Wicca's shoved Blondie's mirropad away and looked at her square in the eye. "Put this in your report, Blondie. Raven was only standing up for a friend, so don't go around thinking she's gone bad." She pointed a green finger at the reporter. "And I should warn you, it's not smart to just waltz up to one of my friends and pester them unless you want to end up as a puddle of goo on the floor." Her fingertip crackled with magic.

Blondie swallowed and backed up a little. She maybe a determined journalist, but she wasn't stupid. The last thing she would want is to anger a wicked witch. "Uh, right. How silly of me." She chuckled nervously as se kept backing up. "Later!" And she briskly ran away.

Wicca scoffed. "What a wimp."

"Wow. You sure can be scary when you want to be, Wicca." Coral said.

"It's a gift." Wicca smiled, checking her black manicure.

"Miss Queen!" Headmaster Grimm approached Raven. "I would like to say I'm delighted with your evil performance in Magicology class! And don't forget about the Villain's Ball tonight!"

Raven scowled at the headmaster. "I'm not going!"

The headmaster's face fell. "You will go tonight, Miss Queen. Unless you want to spend the evening cleaning out the dragon stables!"

"What?! You can't do that!" Raven exclaimed.

"Oh, I can. Normally, your actions in class today requires the upmost punishment, Headmaster Grimm said. "But seeing as how you've committed an act of evil on purpose, I can let it slide. You it's up to you. Cleaning out the dragon stables or going to the ball."

Raven was furious. How could the Headmaster do something like this? She wanted to just turn him into a frog so badly, but that'll only add fuel to the fire. She had no choice but to agree.

"Alright, I'll go to the dance." Raven said.

The headmaster's smile returned. "Hexcellent choice, Miss Queen! See you tonight..." he said with a serious tone before marching away.

"Unbelievable!" Wicca said. "That fat man doesn't know when to quit!"

"I guess you are going to the dance, Raven." said Coral.

Racen threw her hands in the air. "I can't believe this! And I thought my mom was the unfairest of them all! Now I have to go to that stupid dance!"

Wicca rubbed her chin. "Maybe you don't have to..."

Raven looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Raven," Wicca put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "I think this calls for a little magic."


	7. Less Magic, More Peace of Mind

Once the mid-morning break began, Wicca brought Raven and Coral into her dorm room.

"So what exactly are you up to?" asked Raven.

"And why did you bring us here?" asked Coral.

"So we an talk in private." Wicca grinned. "I have the perfect plan to help you, Raven. Since you don't want to go to the dance, I'll create a duplicate of you!"

Raven blinked. "You will?!"

"Of course! That power hungry headmaster of ours thinks he can just make us do things we don't want to do? Not gonna happen! I'll send your duplicate to the dance and nobody's the wiser!" Wicca opened her spell book.

Suddenly, a knock came to the door.

Wicca groaned as she slammed her book shut. "Oh, for badness sakes!" She willed the door open and Rosabella Beauty came in.

"Wicca! We have a problem!" said the princess. "My duplicates are gone!"

"What?! What do you mean they're gone?!"

"Well, once we had the ballroom decorated, I told my duplicates to stay in my room. But when I came back, they were gone! I've been trying to find you all day yesterday!" Rosabella explained.

"Oh, no!" Wicca slapped her forehead. "The clones must has disappeared because the spell wore off!"

"Wore off?!" Raven said.

"Yeah! Making clones takes a lot of magic! And I made three Rosabellas! My power must not be strong enough so they all disappeared over a certain amount of time!"

"Then there's no point in making a clone of me!" Raven said. "It'll vanish at the dance and Headmaster Grimm will bust me!"

"Don't talk like that, Raven! I'm not giving up that easily!" Wicca said with determination.

"Uh, Wicca. Wouldn't it be better if Raven just went to the dance?" Coral suggested.

"I'm with Coral." Raven said. "I might as well just go-"

"NO! A wicked witch never gives up!" Wicca tightened her fist. "I'm making that clone and show Headmaster Grimm who's the real boss of this school! But first..."

Wicca started shoving Rosabella out of her room. "Sorry, Rose. But I can only solve one problem at a time. Why don't go talk to Apple? She's all about helping people." And the witch slammed the door shut. "Okay, Raven. I'll make your duplicate right before the dance. It should last for a few hours. Let's get to work!"

Wicca opened her spell book, but Raven yanked it right out of her hands.

"Just wait a spell, Wicca! Why are you so determined to help me?!" Raven asked.

"Because I want to help you!" Wicca replied, stunning Raven.

Wicca sighed. "Look, Headmaster Grimm says I can't act like a villain. And now he's forcing you to go to the ball and using your outburst as leverage?! That's not fair! It's just not fair! How can I possibly sit still and let that happen?!"

"Wicca," said Raven. "I'm just as mad as you are. But there are times we have to deal with things, even if we don't like it. Besides, we're just going a dance. It's not like we're cleaning Madame Yaga's hut or spinning straw into gold for Professor Rumpelstiltskin." She chuckled. "In fact, going to a dance is hardly a punishment!"

That's when Wicca realized she was making a big fuss over nothing. Perhaps the whole cloning thing was a bad idea. She nodded with an approved smile. "Yeah, you're right, Raven. It is just a dance, not the end of the world."

"Exactly." Raven grinned. "So it's agreed, we'll all go to the dance and make the best of it!"

"What are you talking about?" Wicca nudged Raven. "I'm gonna have a blast! I'll show you some of my wicked moves!" She did a few dance moves and struck a pose.

"Not bad! But I can top that!" Raven did some twirls and spins before striking her own wicked pose.

"Check this out!" Coral moved her body like a wave and moved her arms to her own rhythm.

"Nice!" Wicca said. She and her friends laughed together.

The bell chimed and it was time to go back to class. Wicca, Raven, and Coral left to go to their respective classes.

"So, after school, we'll head to the Tower hair salon and get primed up together!" Raven said.

"Yeah!" Wicca and Coral said. When wicca swing opened her door, she heard two shouts of pain.

"OWWW!" Wicca looked over and saw Gus and Helga Crumb, Hansel and Gretel's kids.

Helga rubbed her sore nose and pointed an accusing finger at Wicca. "You hit my nose!" Her cousin Gus cried like a big baby.

"Well, maybe you two wimps should watch where you're going!" Wicca spat. "Now beat it, ya flying monkey boogers!" She stomped her foot hard for dramatic effect.

The Crumb cousins took off crying in pain and terror.

"Those two are still nothing but a couple of wimps." Wicca snorted.

* * *

Once classes were over, Wicca, Raven, and Coral wemt to the Tower hair salon. Normally, if there was a dance at Ever After High, tons of girls would be packed in the salon.

But since this was a ball to honor villains, there was only a few girls on the waiting room this time. When Wicca set foot inside, they all gasped and looked with scared eyes. Even Wicca was infamous among her villainous peers.

Poppy O'Hair, one of the daughters of Rapunzel, looked a bit uneasy as Wicca strolled up her. The wicked witch smiled her little half smile "Hey, Popstar."

"Hey, Wicca." said Poppy. "Here to get ready for the Villain's Ball?"

"You know it! Who better to go to than my favorite stylist in Ever After?" Ever since her friends introduced Wicca to fashion, hair care, and hygiene. She dedicated herself to look good being bad. And Poppy O'Hair was the only stylist she could depend on to give her great fashion tips while keeping with her own wicked style.

"My friends and I would like to get started right away!" said Wicca.

"Well, I do have a few other customers to attend to..." Poppy said, getting a bad feeling about this.

"Oh, they don't mind letting us go first..." She slowly turned to the waiting customers. "Do you?" Her green eyes flashed and a strong wind swept through the room. Magazines and strands of hair blew everywhere. The frightened customers screamed and took off running out of the salon.

Wicca's eyes stopped glowing and she smiled back at Poppy.

The daughter of Rapunzel sighed. "Well, I guess you're my only customers today." She was used to Wicca scaring away customers so she could be pampered. Last time she came for a touch up, she turned the chairs into bottom-munching monsters that chased away Poppy's clients.

Wicca saw Raven and Coral giving her a look. "What? We need to get ready as soon as we can! The dance is tonight!"

With that taken care of, the girls got in their chairs and began getting their hair done. "So, you made sure the water is enchanted?" Wicca asked.

Poppy smiled. "As requested." She began rinsing Wicca's hair. To the witch's relief, all she felt was warmth on her scalp.

"Enchanted water?" asked Coral. "Why enchanted?"

Wicca hesitated to answer.

"It's okay, Wicca. Just tell her." said Raven.

"Okay," Wicca sighed. "I have this...skin condition that if regular water touches me, I'll start to melt."

"Melt?!" Wicca gasped.

"Yeah, Headmaster Grimm installed my bathroom to only have enchanted water when I bathe." Wicca said. "Because even if I bathed in normal water, I couldn't melt and end up sucked down the drain."

"Whoa!" Coral wa shocked. All her life she spent in the water, but for this witch to live out her life away from normal water? It was unbelievable!

Wicca squeezed her chair. "That shoe-stealing brat Dorothy pored that bucket of normal water on my mom and ended up killing her!" It enraged Wicca to this very day. That Dorothy Gale was the real villain. After she killed the witch, Dorothy Gale was hailed as a witch-slaying hero and was so inspired by destroying the Wicked Witch of the West, she became a professional witch hunter and became the guardian of Oz.

One day, someday, Wicca will have her revenge on the woman who took her mother's life.

But for now, she just wanted to enjoy her time at Ever After High. Revenge can wait.

After the hair treatment, the girls we're getting their nails done. Raven heard laughter and she looked out to see Cerise and six fairies walking and chatting together.

Raven recognized those fairies as Faybelle's minions, but Faybelle wasn't with them. Cerise was. "Hey, what are those fairies doing hanging out with Cerise?"

"You mean you don't know? Cerise joined the cheer squad." Poppy said.

Raven turned to her friend in shock. "Cerise joined the cheer squad?!"

"Yeah, who knew she had it in her?" Poppy shrugged.

"I didn't..." Raven knew Cerise long enough to know that she would never willingly join the cheer squad because of her secret. What brought on this sudden change in her friend?

Wicca kept silent. If she said anything it might tip Raven off about Cerise being the witch's spy.


	8. All Wet

Once the sun had set and the shadows, it was time for the Villain's Ball.

The students were amazed and alarmed at how the grand ballroom was transformed into a chilling room of fear and darkness.

Cobwebs riddled the chandeliers, skull decorations hung everywhere, wicked looking refreshments filled the buffet table. There was even a live ogre band playing haunting music. But the most imposing feature was the long tapestries of infamous villains hanging from the ceiling. There was one showing the Big Bad Wolf terrifying the Three Little Pigs, the Dark Fairy cursing Sleeping Beauty, The Candy Witch with the imprisoned Hansel and Gretel.

But the one that caught everyone's eye was the one showing the Evil Queen holding the poisoned apple.

It truly was a place to honor evil.

Wicca squealed with delight while her friends just stood in silence. "This is gonna be the best dance ever!" The young witch wore her black witch hat, black mini dress with a green skull belt, a black cape, black bangles, and red go-go boots to match her red lipstick.

The other students who weren't villains weren't exactly as thrilled as Wicca and the other villain students. They just stood around and whispered to themselves.

Wicca saw Raven looking at the tapestry of the Evil Queen. She went over to talk to her friend. "Hey, Raven. You okay?"

Raven was startled out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry. That tapestry really captures my mother's likeness. It's almost like she's staring right at me..."

Wicca could see the fear in Raven's eyes. "Are you afraid of your mom?"

"Sometimes. Like...when she's not in mirror prison where she belongs."

Wicca blinked twice. "Mirror prison?! I thought she was destroyed!"

Raven shook her head. "No, someone as powerful as my mother couldn't be destroyed. The headmasters and Madame Yaga were able to trap her within her own magic mirror before she could destroy Wonderland. And every year, I pay her a visit in the school attic."

"You mean...the Evil Queen, THE Evil Queen...has been living within this school all this time?!"

Raven sighed. "Yeah, surprise, surprise."

Wicca couldn't believe it. The Evil Queen was here in this school?! So, she could just sneak into the attic and talk to the Evil Queen and gain all of her secrets?! It was too good to be true! Wicca couldn't help but smile with ecstasy.

As if she could read minds, Raven gave her friend a look. "Don't even think about it, Wicca." she said seriously. "My mother is someone you do not want to get involved with. All she ever cares about is making me evil and take over the world. And she'll do anything and manipulate anyone in order to do it. Faybelle learned that lesson very well."

Wicca dropped her smile. "Faybelle?!"

Raven gave a nod. "Yep. The last time my mother tried to make me evil and take over Ever After, she escaped imprisonment and manipulated Faybelle into helping her little scheme by raising a horde of dark dragons and make me look evil in front of the entire school. But Faybelle finally realized she was only being used and in the end, helped stop my mother and put her back where she belongs."

Wicca was shocked to the core. Faybelle Thorn met with the Evil Queen and worked for her?! The witch was shocked and jealous! To think, her arch nemesis, involved with with the Evil Queen!

And would have thought? The Evil Queen was alive. The ultimate evil, the mistress of mayhem, the ringleader of riots...locked away in her magic mirror within the school attic.

"Hey, guys!" Rosabella waved as she approached Wicca. She was wearing a yellow dress with claw mark patterns, bringing out the beast in her outfit "You were right, Wicca! All I needed was to talk to Apple and the next thing you know, she and her animal friends decked this whole place out!"

Wicca shook her head in disbelief. "Wait. Apple White, Miss Sickly Sweet herself, decorated this place?!"

"You betcha!" Apple chirped as she skipped over to Wicca. She wore a puffy sleeved ball gown that was black at the top then comes down to the red skirt in an oozing pattern. Her golden hair had black streaks, she even wore black eyeshadow and had her upper lip black and her lower lip red.

She looked just like a poisoned apple.

"WHOA!" Raven took a step back. "Apple?! Is that you?!"

"It sure is! I'm embracing my dark side for the Villain's Ball!" The princess smiled her usual smile that made Wicca nauseous. "I was so hexcited that we were doing something completely different for a ball! Then when Rosabellas told me she needed help setting up, my creativity just took over and...ta-daaaa!"

"I gotta say, White, I'm impressed!" Wicca said. "Didn't know you had it in you."

"Anything to help! Besides, even villains need a little appreciation for what they do!"

Wicca threw her hands up. "Thank you!"

Apple looked around. "Say, where did Raven go?"

"Huh?! Raven?! RAVEN?!" Wicca called out. But Raven was nowhere to be found. "Where did she go?!" As if by magic, the daughter of the Evil Queen was gone.

"Maybe she went to freshen up." Apple guessed. "Or maybe clear her mind. I know these kind of dances aren't really her thing."

"Hey, you guys!"

Wicca waved to her roommate. "Coral! You finally made it!"

Coral was a vision of underwater beauty. Her black dress was decorated with fish skeleton prints. Her blue hair was long and wavy with a black tentacle headpiece.

"Wow, Coral! You look enchanting!" Apple said.

"Thanks, you too." Coral said, blushing. "Where's Raven?"

Before Wicca could answer, Cerise and the cheer squad went up to Wicca. Cerise wore a red hooded cape trimmed with grey and black fur. She wore a simple black dress and brown boots. "Hey, guys!"

"Oh, hey, Cerise." Wicca grinned. "How's cheerleading going for ya?"

"It's a real howl!" Cerise let out a big howl from her gut. "Okay, team. Go have some fun! I'm gonna chat with Wicca for a bit."

"Okay, Cerise!

"Later, Cerise!"

"Bye, Cerise!"

"Let's cut a rug!"

"Watch the dress!"

"Why don't you watch where you're going?!"

Cerise and Wicca walked over to the punch bowl so they can talk in private. "Wicca! This is amazing! I never knew cheerleading could be so much fun! Faybelle even made me vice captain!"

"Vice captain?!"

Cerise nodded. "Yeah! Faybelle told me she's been so busy with thronework and the Villain Club, she decided to out me in charge!"

"I'm happy for ya, Hood." Wicca said. "You even got those air-headed fairies wrapped around your finger. I'm impressed!"

"They're not so bad once you get to know them." Cerise said. She leaned in close. "And thanks again for that cream. That stuff really helps."

"No prob, Cerise. And who knows? Maybe someday, you won't have to use that cream anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that someday, you won't have to hide your secret and you can show who you really are to everyone! Because you're entitled to be yourself, no matter who you're related to!" Wicca declared, but not too loudly of course.

Cerise looked at Wicca, stunned. Then she smiled so wide, it even made Wicca feel warm.

"Thanks, Wicca. That means a lot. You sound just like Raven." Cerise said. "And you know, I-"

Alarms suddenly started blaring. The fire sprinklers from the ceiling started spraying wildly. Everyone panicked as they got soaked.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Wicca screamed in pain when the water touched her body. Her green skin fizzed and smiled like it was burning. She tried to run, but her legs gave out and she fell. The water kept falling on her, she tried to move but her legs were melting. She felt her body start to ooze.

"WICCA!"

With stinging eyes, Wicca managed to see Cerise and several other students grab her and carry her out of the ballroom.

"EEWWWW! I've got witch goo on my hands!" someone squealed. Wicca couldn't see anything. It was all blurry.

"WICCA! HANG IN THERE! STAY WITH US!" It was Cerise's voice. "SOMEONE GET MADAME YAGA!"

Everything was fading. The voices were becoming silent. Wicca felt her end coming. She couldn't move. Her body was slowly turning to mush.

"H-Help..." Wicca wheezed out. She wheezed again, trying to say more, but she couldn't.

Her world became dark.


	9. The Importance of Evil

Wicca managed to open her eyes. She found herself lying on a medical bed in the school infirmary. She wore a white hospital gown and she was wrapped head to toe in healing bandages.

Baba Yaga, Coral, and Cerise were looking down at her.

"Ah, you're awake, Miss West. You gave us quite a scare." Baba Yaga said. "It seems your spell worked splendidly, Miss Witch! There will be hextra credit for you in Magicology class."

Coral wasn't listening. She was too busy crying tears of joy, happy her roommate was alive.

"Wicca! You're okay! Cerise was going to throw her arms around her in a big hug until Baba Yaga stopped her with her magic.

"Don't assault her with hugs yet! She's still recovering!" snapped the sorceress.

Wicca found her voice. "Guys...what happened?"

Baba Yaga narrowed her eyes. "Well, a certain someone switched on the fire system and activated all the sprinklers. You were almost melted away if it weren't for Coral's water magic."

Wicca looked at Wicca. "Water...magic?"

"Yes, I cast a spell to remove the water that affected your body. Then Madame Yaga healed you with her magic. Together, we saved you from melting!"

"But your entire body has suffered serious burns! It'll be a while before you recover, so you must stay in bed." Madame Yaga advised.

"But who did this?" Wicca struggled to get up. "WHO?!"

Coral and Cerise were silent. Madame Yaga held up a Mirrorpad that showed Blondie Lockes reporting what happened.

"This is Blondie Lockes, coming to you live with a shocking news report! Tonight was the Villain's Ball but it truly ended in disaster after the fire sprinklers mysteriously turned on! Luckily for us, Faybelle Thorn was able to catch the culprit!"

The camera showed a sight that made Wicca's blood run cold. Raven Queen was unconscious while Faybelle had her teal boot on Raven's chest.

Blondie held her microphone up to the dark fairy. "Faybelle! How did you stop Raven Queen?!"

"Well, I was freshening up in the bathroom. And when I came back I saw this Evil Queen pulling the fire alarm! Before she could cause anymore damage, I knocked her out with a sleeping spell!"

"But wait a spell! What about that Raven over there that was at the dance?!" The camera moved to another Raven Queen!

Faybelle scoffed. "That? A dark fairy can sense when dark magic is afoot!" She pointed her finger at the so-called Raven and in a cloud of smoke, Helga Crumb appeared!

The daughter of Hansel immediately stared balling like a baby. "IT VAS HORRIBLE!" She sobbed and pointed at Raven accusingly. "Raven Queen had me under control vith a mind-control spell! She's pure evil! EVIL!"

"So, Raven had Crumb under mind control and disguised her so throw off suspicion." Faybelle said. "It was a brilliant plan, but no brilliant enough!"

"And there you have it!" Blondie concluded. "We all thought Raven Queen was a good queen, but it turns out we were wrong! She fooled us all! The Evil Queen's legacy does live on in our so-called friend Raven Queen!"

Seeing enough, Wicca took off running.

"WICCA! Where are you going?!" Cerise called out.

* * *

Once Faybelle stepped out of the spotlight, she smiled and mentally congratulated herself on a job well done.

She was dying to brag about this to the Villain Club. But first, there was someone more important she had to tell first.

Faybelle arrived the heavy chained door that lead to the tower attic. She snorted at the worthless chains and recited the usual fairy spell to make the chains soft and bendy. She pushed them aside and opened the door.

The dark fairy flew up the spiral staircase and entered the dusty tower attic. Without a hint of fear, she strolled up to a large, dusty mirror sitting in the middle of the room. "Mission accomplished."

"FAYBELLE!"

Gasping, Faybelle spun around and saw Wicca appeared in a cloud of green smoke. Alarmed at first, but upon seeing Wicca, Faybelle broke out in giggles. Wicca's hair was matted and stuck out everywhere, her two sizes too big hospital gown hung off her like a bed sheet tied around a coat rack.

"Wow, Green bean! You look like a mummy!" Faybelle laughed. "In fact, you even look worse than when you first came to Ever After High!"

Wicca's eyes burned with intensity. "You've gone too far this time, Faybelle! You did something that made Raven turn on the fire spinklers and it almost got me killed!"

Faybelle feigned a shocked look. "I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB!" Wicca screeched in her witchy voice, making Faybelle flinch. "I know you've been sneaking around the Vault of Lost Tales! You've been bringing reading material for the Evil Queen, haven't you?! In fact, this was all just a plan for you to make Raven look bad and gain the Evil Queen's approval. AM I RIGHT?!"

Faybelle looked surprised. Then she smiled a little. "You really are smarter than you look. Fine, since you know about me and the Vault of Lost Tales, I might as well tell you the whole truth. The Villain's Ball would be the perfect party to cause some havoc and frame Raven. Let's be honest, my fairy friends are too dimwitted for this plan, so I put Cerise in charge of the cheer squad to get them off my back. Then I bribed Gus and Helga Crumb to spy on you and Raven. Those sugar-heads wil do anything for candy, so I hooked them up with that. Then I used a disguise spell to make Helga look like Raven. At the dance, I used a spell to make Raven leave the ball room then I put her to sleep. After that, I pulled the fire alarm."

"All this...just to make Raven look bad?"

"Yeah, but you getting soaked and melting was just a bonus." Faybelle laughed like a true villain. "Now everyone thinks Raven is evil and her goody goody reputation is trashed! As we speak, Raven's getting served hard justice by Headmaster Grimm." She gathered fairy magic in her hands. "And now that you know everything, I might as well silence you for good!"

"WHAT?! Faybelle! Wait!" Wicca stepped back.

"Sorry, Green bean. But I deserve to take the throne next to the Evil Queen, not you or that namby pamby Raven." Dark magic crackled loudly from her fingers. "Besides, wiping you out with do me up solid with the Evil Queen!"

Faybelle was ready to blast Wicca with conjured water until Headmaster Grimm and Baba Yaga stormed into the attic.

"FAYBELLE THORN!" Headmaster Grimm roared. His face was red as Cerise's hood. Baba Yaga shot her hands out and trapped Faybelle in a magic bubble.

"NOOOO!" Faybelle tried to break the bubble, but her magic wasn't as strong as her teacher's. "How?!"

Wicca snapped her fingers and appearing beside her was Blondie Lockes, her Mirrorpad aimed right at Faybelle.

"Invisibility spells come in handy when getting a big scoop." said Wicca.

Blondie glared at Faybelle with great contempt. "Thanks for your little confession, Faybelle. It's been broadcast to the whole school."

Faybelle couldn't believe it. She was set up. Wicca played her like a violin. She saw Headmaster Grimm looking more upset with the fairy than he ever was. "Faybelle Thorn, what you have done is inexcusable and unacceptable. You leave me no choice...but to call your mother."

"WHAT?! NOOOOOOOO!" Faybelle wailed. "Anything but that! I was just following my destiny!"

Wicca stomped her foot and firmly put her hands on her hips. "Of course you were." she growled. "But there is such a thing AS TAKING YOUR DESTINY TOO FAR!"

"Well said." Baba Yaga said. "To the Headmaster'a office with you, Miss Thorn." She took Faybelle away.

Headmaster Grimm patted Wicca on the shoulder. "Well, Miss West. I must thank you for exposing Faybelle. Never did I think she would still be conspiring with the Evil Queen. I am also glad that you learned a thing or two about taking evil too far."

"Yes, Sir."

"Now then, I must call the Dark Fairy to discuss Faybelle's punishment." The headmaster left the attic.

Blondie followed him. "Ooh! Ooh! Is it alright if I broadcast that punishment, Headmaster Grimm! This is the most drama I've had for a report in ages!"

Wicca was about to leave until a voice called to her.

"Very impressive, Wicca."

The young witch felt the air turn cold. Everything seemed to slow down as a sinister presence filled the attic.

Wicca turned around and saw a woman in the mirror. But not just any woman. She had dark, purple-spiked hair with a silver headdress. She wore a slimming black, purple, and silver gown with spiky shoulder pads. Her dark purple eyes glistened, her purple lips curled into a little half smile.

"The Evil Queen." Wicca respectfully bowed her head to the ultimate evil. "It's an honor to be in your presence."

"No need to be so formal." The Evil Queen rubbed her chin delicately, aware of her beautiful, flawless features. "I must say, little witch. You truly are a master of deception. Someone of your resourcefulness is truly worthy to be in my inner circle. Faybelle was spirited, but she was a bit sloppy. And look where it got her." She callously shook her head.

"Yeah, she was pretty wet behind the ears." Wicca said. "I have a feeling she won't be visiting your anymore."

"Indeed she won't." The Evil Queen couldn't hide her smile. "But you, my dear, are far beyond her level. You excel in all levels, a true cut above the rest. I remember when your mother and I would hatch all sorts of evil plans together! Instilling fear and wrecking lives." She sighed passionately. "Those were the days."

The queen's smile dissipated. "And now she's gone. That revolting Dorothy Gale destroyed her. But I can change all that, Wicca." She put her hand on the glass. "All you have to do is tap on the glass, and I will appear before you. I shall be more than glad to help you restore your mother and help you both rule over Oz and restore your legacy."

Most people would be trembling and tongue tied when speaking with the Evil Queen, bu Wicca Wicca still remained cool as ice. When looking at the Evil Queen, she imagined if this is what her mother was like when she was green flesh and blood. "You would do that for me?"

"Of course! It's the least I could do for a fellow villain!" The queen's eyes intensified with wicked glee. "It doesn't matter how many do-gooders are out there. Evil is everything. It's a science, a way of life, a passion, it's what makes a fairytale even possible! Without evil, we villains have no place in the world! We would just be outsiders abandoned and forgotten by everyone!"

The Evil Queen pressed her hand harder against the shimmering glass of her mirror prison. "So, Wicca. Release me and together, we will gain what we both want and rule over everyone who dare oppose us!"

This was it. The chance Wicca's been looking for. The Evil Queen has more than enough power to make all her wicked dreams come true. Think off all the dark spells she could teach Wicca, the strategies she could learn, the stylish fashion sense.

And her mother, the Wicked Witch of the West, could be restored.

"You certainly are right about evil, your Magesty. It makes a story hexciting and never boring. I love being a villain. It's who I am. And I'm good at it." Wicca looked at the queen straight in the eye. "I'm going to be as great a villain as my mother. No...I'm going to be greater than my mother."

But the young witch turned away. "But I don't need your help."

The Evil Queen's fingernails screeched against the glass. _"What?!"_ she hissed.

Wicca kept her back turned. "A true villain thinks on her own two feet, not ride on someone else's coattails. That was Faybelle's weakness. She relies too much on others and gaining approval by her superiors. But I know better." She began walking away. "I will become a great and powerful villain...without you."

The Evil Queen watched Wicca leave the attic. She looked royally cheesed off as she sat down and put her chin in her hand. "Now there's a girl who can't be bought."


	10. Within the Looming Darkness

The next morning at Ever After High, everyone had their had their heads tilted up and their wide eyes glued to the mirror screens that hung all over campus. Every student with a mirrorpad prepared for Blondie's mirrorcast show recalling last night's events.

Blondie's face appeared on the center of the screen. She was usually smiling, but not for this report.

"Fellow fairytales. Blondie Lockes here with a special news bulletin on this edition of _Just Right_. Thanks to Wicca West, yours truly was able to expose Faybelle Thorn's alliance with the Evil Queen and clear Raven Queen's name. After a discussion with Faybelle's mother, the Dark Fairy herself, Headmaster Grimm came to the hextremely difficult conclusion that Faybelle will be _expelled_ from Ever After High. Now that the villain to Sleeping Beauty is gone, what will become of this fabled fairytale? We may never know."

Wicca, who had been watching on her Mirrorpad, had mixed feelings about this. Her body was still bandaged, but she wasn't in pain anymore. She ditched her hospital gown for a simple black dress, black cap, and her classic black witch hat

"Thank you for watching. I'll keep you in the know with the latest scoop. I'm Blondie Locked and I'll see you next time when I have another scoop gor another episode of _Just Right._ "

The screen went dark. Wicca could hear many students heard sighs of relief as if they held their breath.

"I can't believe Faybelle was in cahoots with the Evil Queen!"

"I can't believe she's expelled!"

"I can't believe they didn't expel her sooner! Good riddance! We don't need someone as twisted like Faybelle in our school!"

Wicca got up and went to find Raven. She went around the corner and bumped into something black and purple. It was Raven's hair.

"Raven! You're okay!" Wicca hugged her best friend.

Raven returned the hug in kind. "Yeah, Faybelle's mom was able to reverse the sleeping spell on me. She said I would have been asleep for a month!"

"Yikes! That Faybelle's a real piece of work, putting you to sleep like that." Wicca said. "I know she looks her down on the rebels, but sheesh! What a hard case!"

"No kidding." Raven frowned. "I just can't believe she would still be working for my mother. And on top of that, she almost destroyed you! I just don't understand why she would go that far!"

"Because of the Evil Queen." Wicca answered. "She's a true villain, someone on a completely different level than Faybelle. The Evil Queen has the power to do anything, power that can grant people's greatest desires, but she never does because she only entices people for her own personal gain. It takes more than powerful magic to be a fearsome villain, you have to be cunning as well. Your mother enticed Faybelle with delusions of grandeur to manipulate her and bend her to her will." Wicca's eyes went dark. "She tried the same thing on me."

Raven gasped. "You talked to my mother?!"

Wicca nodded. "Yep, she tried to bribe me just like she did with Faybelle, but I turned her down." She crossed her arms with pride. "I don't need her to become a great villain. She can stay in mirror prison where she belongs."

"I'm really proud of you, Wicca." Raven said honestly. "The last thing I want is another friend being controlled by my mother."

"Yeah, that's for sure." Wicca smiled. "Besides, the Evil Queen is so overdone these days. It's time for some young blood to step into the spotlight! That old crow's been taking center stage for too long."

Raven laughed. "If my mom heard you say that, she'd turn you into a frog!"

"That's another thing. The old 'turning someone into a frog' thing is overused too. Why not turn someone into something more humiliating? Like...a warthog!"

Raven laughed even more. "A warthog?!" She and Wicca laughed until they spotted Briar walking slowly downs the hall, hugging her school books to her chest.

"Hey, Briar!" Raven waved in her usual friendly manner.

Briar kept walking.

"Hey, Beauty!" Wicca called out.

"Huh?" Briar stopped and turned around. "Oh. Hey, Wicca. Hey, Raven." she droned.

"What's wrong, Beauty? Almost pricked your finger on a spindle?" Wicca asked jokingly, but Briar wasn't laughing. "Come on, what's wrong?"

"I just...can't believe Faybelle's gone." said the princess. She sounded so sad.

Wicca looked surprised. "Why are you so disappointed? Faybelle is gone so you don't have to worry about sleeping for a hundred years."

"I know, but I still don't feel good about it." said Briar. "Sure, Faybelle was my villain but she was also my friend...and now she's gone. Now that the villain of my story is gone, what will happen to my story?" Briar blinked. "Whoa! So this how Apple feels..."

"What's Apple got to do with this?" asked Wicca.

Raven didn't respond, so Briar did.

"Because she doesn't have a villain in her story either. In fact, there's no huntsman now that Hunter and Ashlynn are a thing. And no Prince Charming since Daring is really destined to be a beast. But I shouldn't worry about myself. I don't want my destiny, but Apple does."

Briar looked at Raven.

"Now, Briar," Raven began to defend herself. "Don't-"

"Its okay, Raven." said Briar. "I'm not going to convince you to be evil. You made your choice and I'm okay with that, because you inspired me to make a choice. I'm sure there are some people out there you can fill your shoes. Same goes for Hunter and Daring. Now that my Sleeping Beauty story is put to bed, I can focus on something more important; help my best friend find her happily ever after."

With a confident smile and newfound path, Briar went to Apple and talked with her beloved friend.

"Wow, wasn't hexpecting that." Wicca said. "All this time I thought Briar was another bubble-headed princess just like the other royals. But it turns out even she has her values."

"Yeah, some royals can get so caught up in the glamor their destiny, they lose sight of what's really important. So I'm glad Briar and Apple are understanding what being real royals are all about."

"Come to think of it, Raven. Since you don't want to be the next Evil Queen, what will you do when you graduate?"

"Well, I'm not gonna poison Apple, so I'm thinking I'm going to become a singer or write stories." Raven decided. "What about you?"

"Me? Well..."

"E-A! E-A! Ever After wins the day!"

Wicca looked down the hall and spotted Cerise and Faybelle's former minions cheering and laughing together. Looks like they are a lot happier with Cerise. They didn't care that Faybelle was gone. And Cerise was happy with them too.

"I'm gonna be the baddest villain ever after. But I also want to help out the rebels." Wicca declared.

"You do?!"

Wicca smiled. "Yeah, Raven. Your mother wants you to embrace your evil destiny, but you're much happier being good. I like you just the way you are and I don't want that to change." She stood proud and mighty. "I choose to honor my evil destiny and at the same time, make the world a better place for those rebels who want their freedom!"

Just then, two accented voices caught Wicca's ear.

"This is so unfair! Headmaster Grimm gave us dungeon detention!" Helga Crumb simpered while jumping up and down. "Ve aren't the villains here! It vas all that Faybelle's fault!"

"And that evil vitch Vicca!" Gus Crumb whined. "She-"

The Crumb cousins stopped dead in their tracks as Wicca stood before them. The wicked witch gave them an evil smile and snapped her fingers. Her bandages faded away to reveal her injuries have healed. In her hand was her trusty broomstick.

Helga and Gus Crumb were visibly shaking with fear.

"I gonna give you to the count of three." Wicca warned. "One...THREE!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The Crumb cousins took off screaming.

Wicca hopped on her broomstick and lifted off the ground. "I'll get you, my pretties! AHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!" She cackled her witchy laugh and flew off after them. It always felt good instilling a little fear into others.

Raven just shook her head and chuckled. "Wicca is back and better than ever."

* * *

Up in the school attic, inside the magic mirror, the Evil Queen was taking a spa day. She had her hair wrapped up in a towel and dressed in a purple robe with black lace. Her face was covered in a mud mask and had cucumbers placed over her eyes.

The villain huffed as she sat back in her massage chair. "Who does that Wicca West think she is? Brushing me off like that! I am the Evil Queen! She'll never become as great and powerful as I am! I am evil itself!"

"Indeed you are."

The Evil Queen got up, startled. Her...startled. She engulfed herself in purple flames and was back to wearing her her gown, spiky shoulder pads and headdress. "WHO'S THERE?! SHOW YOURSELF!"

From the walls of her prison, a pair of green eyes peeked from the darkness. The queen was able to make out a male figure appearing into view. "Calm yourself, Evil Queen. I mean you no harm."

"As if you can harm me." The Evil Queen sniffed. "But you must be quite skilled to perform the spell that connects your mirror to my mirror prison. Who exactly are you?"

"I am the ally you've been waiting for, your Majesty." said the man. "I come from a world where there is power. More power than anyone can possibly imagine. Even more power than you possess."

"More power than I possess?" The Evil Queen's eyes became cold. "That's quite a bold statement."

"But it's true." the man said calmly. "In fact, simple misuse of this power can end all life as we know it."

"Really?" Now the Evil Queen was interested. "And you're telling me this why?"

"Because I'm willing to give you this power. With it, Raven will become evil and you two will rule Ever After as mother and daughter, as she is destined to."

The Evil Queen raised a brow. "Alright, what's the catch?"

"What else? To be in your favor. But I should warn you, obtaining such a power will not be easy, it requires a special key to unlock it. I have the perfect plan to obtain the key. I will free you from your prison and with my knowledge, you will obtain the ultimate power. Your will be unstoppable."

The Evil Queen was very fascinated by this man's proposition. Something more powerful than her? And having that power will make her invincible? And have her beloved, but too good daughter become evil just like her?

A malevolent smile grew across the Evil Queen's face. "If you're offering me a chance to free me, create some chaos, and obtain great power. then I'm obliged to take it. You got yourself a deal."


End file.
